Alcohol The International Dilemma

The unwarranted consumption of alcohol is becoming a problem on a universal scale, resulting in countless social problems affecting all walks of life. In northern Ireland the Chief Medical Officer – Dr Michael McBride has identified the common use of alcohol amid the younger generation. In Northern Ireland children as young as 11 are drinking and by the age of 16 it is believed four out of five teenagers will have had an alcoholic drink in some form or other. Dr McBride hints that the basis behind so many young people turning to drink in Northern Ireland is to progress their social and sexual confidence and requests higher awareness of the harm that alcohol can do.

Regrettably excessive consumption of alcohol amid teenagers is having a negative impact on communities across Northern Ireland chiefly within urban areas. Within 2 years child crime has increased by approximately 20% mainly fueled by alcoholic consumption involving children as young as seven. In contrast, burglary, vehicle crime and criminal damage have seen little or no rise whereas alcohol-related offences have increased by as much as a third.

In Northern Ireland The Garda youth diversion programme has been put in place to lower this anti social behavior with some positive results. Children suspected of crimes under this system are given the chance to redeem themselves by compensating or saying sorry to victims. Around 60-70% of the children have not re-offended within the first year after being accepted into this venture.

Obviously these problems are not limited to Northern Ireland and around the globe countries are taking their own measures to reduce the social impact of alcohol-related incidents.

In recent years millions have been invested on an yearly basis by drink manufacturers in Kenya on measures to tackle alcohol abuse, underage drinking and drink driving. Sales in of alcoholic beverages have rocketed and these companies have invested a great deal of time in projects to try and decrease the sometimes negative impact. Advertising, warnings on bottle labels and bartender training are just some of the ideas that have been employed.

The National Alcohol Beverages Association of Kenya (Nabak) working beside The Pubs Entertainment Restaurants Association of Kenya (Perak) have been guiding the drinking habits of Kenyans by persuading alcohol selling outlets to endorse sensible drinking. The results have been very positive seeing in a marked downward trend in underage drinking as a result of recent campaigns.

Other countries are using other schemes in their battle to combat alcohol abuse. Australia has brought in restrictions in its Northern Territory, and in some towns photo identification must be produced when buying alcoholic drinks. These new measures have not pleased everyone and some publicans have been subject to abuse, but generally the consensus among retailers is that this is a decisive move in the fight against the increasing social problems related to alcohol.

About the Author

Lucy is a freelance journalist writing about The Drink Shop at eComparison.